1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a saddle-riding type vehicle, and to a light guide used in this vehicle.
2. Description of the Background Art
A saddle-riding type vehicle, which is typified by a motorcycle, is equipped with a front cover at the front of the chassis. A headlight is usually attached to the front cover, and position lights are also sometimes attached.
A speedometer, handlebar, and front fork are disposed to the rear of the front cover. Space must be left behind the front cover so that these members can rotate easily. Therefore, the size of the front cover in the front and back direction is preferably as small as possible.
Furthermore, a smaller front cover (in front view) improves the aerodynamics of a saddle-riding type vehicle. A windscreen is disposed above the front cover, and the front wheel is disposed below the front cover. Therefore, in front view, it is particularly favorable for the size of the front cover to be as small as possible in the up and down direction.
The headlight, position lights, and other such illumination lamps are disposed in the center part of the front cover, where they can only be disposed in a limited area. Smaller illumination lamps allow the size of the front cover to be smaller in the front and back direction and the up and down direction. However, if the illumination lamps are smaller, the light emission surface area is also smaller, so the quantity of light may be inadequate.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2007-062565 proposes a technique for solving this problem. The vehicular illumination device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application 2007-062565 comprises a pair of projector lamps, a light guide, and first and second reflectors. The light guide is disposed below the pair of projector lamps. The light guide receives light from the projector lamps, and light is emitted from the front end face of the light guide. The first and second reflectors are disposed above the projector lamps. The first and second reflectors are disposed opposite each other, and form a light guide path over which light from the projector lamps is guided upward. In other words, the vehicular illumination device of Patent Literature 2007-62565 uses a light guide and first and second reflectors to emit light from projector lamps upward and forward. Consequently, this vehicular illumination device has a larger emission surface area than when just a pair of projector lamps is provided.
Nevertheless, with the vehicular illumination device in Patent Literature 2007-62565, the light guide and the first and second reflectors have to be disposed on the front cover in order for the light of the projector lamps to be emitted upward and forward. This makes it difficult to reduce the size of the front cover.